A pararescueman from Moody Air Force Base’s 38th Rescue Squadron remains in serious condition at Walter Reed Hospital following the Feb. 18 helicopter crash in Afghanistan that killed eight people.

Senior Airman Mark “Daniel” Houghton, 22, was among the 22 people aboard the Army helicopter when it crashed while returning to Bagram Air Base from Kandahar.

Houghton underwent three hours of surgery Feb. 19 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, according to the Air Force Times. His injuries included several broken bones and blood in his lungs.

Houghton was later airlifted to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Killed in the crash was Tech Sgt. Scott E. Duffman, 32, of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C.

Two other airmen, who were assigned to special operations units as combat controllers, were injured. They were not identified, according to the Air Force Times.

All of the 14 survivors sustained injuries.

The MH-47E was from the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment’s 2nd Battalion, according to the Air Force Times. The helicopter was part of a multiaircraft flight carrying a quick reaction force in support of Joint Special Operations Command.

When the helicopter crew’s mission was canceled, the MH-47E was flying at about 300 feet when it experienced a sudden loss of power, according to the Air Force Times. The craft crashed about 50 yards from the main Kabul-to-Kandahar highway, according to military reports.

The initial speculation about the cause of power loss has centered on the possibility of the engine icing. The helicopter appeared to have come down aft end first, then bounced on its nose, causing the transmission assembly to come down in the cockpit.

The helicopter is at least the fifth that has crashed or been shot down worldwide since the attacks of Sept. 11, according to the Air Force Times.a